Chapter 17 - 16: Gauging the Divine Techniques
"Daoist, stop!"
Suddenly, a sound like a clap of thunder exploded. A misty wave hundreds of zhang high surged up, its murky waters filling the sky. A massive Feathered Whale, more than ten times the size of a normal one, with long whiskers and wide lips, poked half its body out of the tide. Its eyes shone with the light of wisdom as a deep, rumbling voice echoed out.
"Daoist, please stop at once! We Feathered Whales are benign spirit beasts registered with the Tai Su Orthodox Sect and permitted to reside in the Yunmeng Marsh. I can see that your Divine Techniques are vast and your mystical skills profound. You must be an expert from Tai Su. Why do you trouble us?"
’Oh?’ Xu Zhuang was slightly surprised. Although he knew from the sect’s records that the Feathered Whale clan lived in the Yunmeng Marsh, he didn’t know about this arrangement. He was even more surprised that one of these ferocious beasts had gained intelligence.
He had no intention of killing them, so he said, "I was unaware of this matter. I only meant to test the power of my Divine Technique. Please don’t be offended, friend."
’Testing the power of his Divine Technique? Even if he didn’t mean to kill, what does he take our Feathered Whale clan for?’
The Feathered Whale was secretly annoyed upon hearing this. Just as it was thinking of how to respond, Xu Zhuang suddenly tossed an object over. "Friend, you have gained intelligence. This item should be sufficient for your cultivation. Consider it payment for your clan helping me test my Divine Technique. How about it?"
This was a Spirit Medicine that aided spirit beasts in their cultivation, something Xu Zhuang had scavenged from the Qiankun Bag of Yang Lian, whom he had slain. Since Xu Zhuang didn’t have a spirit beast companion, he had no use for it, but it came in handy now.
"This..." The giant Feathered Whale caught the Spirit Medicine, but the words of refusal were stuck in its throat. After a moment’s hesitation, it said sullenly, "If that’s the case, then please, go ahead, Daoist. I only hope you will be careful and not injure them."
"Of course." Xu Zhuang smiled faintly, his gaze returning to the Feathered Whale in his hand. It turned out that during their conversation, the Great Capturing Hand had kept a death grip on the whale. No matter how desperately it thrashed its body or how much it shrieked, it could not escape.
Xu Zhuang even felt that holding this Feathered Whale was no different from lifting a stone lock in his own residence. For the power of the Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture, it was as light as a feather.
Xu Zhuang’s expression remained unchanged as he released the whale, ignoring how it immediately tried to dive into the water and escape with a flick of its tail.
Without any visible movement from him, the Great Capturing Hand suddenly expanded wildly, swelling to a thousand zhang in an instant. Its five fingers spread open, reaching into the clouds as if to grasp the stars and moon. Then, it plunged its palm into the water. Waves surged out as it seized a dozen or so Feathered Whales in its grasp, holding them fast.
"What?!" A human-like expression of terror appeared on the giant Feathered Whale’s ’face.’ As a Feathered Whale itself, it knew just how much power its kind possessed in the water. A single movement of their bodies could be described as overturning rivers and seas.
Although its kin had not yet gained intelligence, this very fact made them struggle and thrash about madly when they felt their lives were threatened. In an instant, they roiled the waves and churned the sea, causing this entire patch of ocean to boil.
Yet, it wasn’t over. As if this was still not enough for him, Xu Zhuang let out a powerful shout, "Rise!" The sky-blotting hand trembled and suddenly lifted upwards, pulling the captured Feathered Whales straight out of the water!
"This!" The giant Feathered Whale’s massive body shuddered. It saw its dozen or so clan members squeezed together in that palm like loaches, letting out mournful cries. A wave of guilt washed over it. Just as it steeled its resolve to return the Daoist’s Spirit Medicine and refuse to let him continue testing his Divine Technique, it saw the man open the five fingers of the colossal hand. The dozen or so Feathered Whales fell SPLASHING into the water like dumplings being dropped into a pot, kicking up monstrous waves that spread far into the distance...
"HAHAHAHAHA!" The man let out a long, hearty laugh, withdrew his Divine Technique, and cupped his hands in a salute toward the whale. "I’ve disturbed you today, friend. Please don’t be offended!" With a leap, he flew into the clouds and vanished from sight.
The sun was at its zenith, its golden rays illuminating every mountain and valley. Above the clouds, Xu Zhuang felt the air was crisp and clear, and a soaring heroic spirit rose in his chest. For the moment, he wasn’t in a hurry to use Sword Escape. Instead, he rode the wind with his Qi, enjoying a leisurely Flying Escape.
To capture Feathered Whales in his palm and lift them from the sea—what a Divine Technique! Compared to when Xu Zhuang first formed his Golden Core and his Divine Techniques had just taken shape, this was a heaven-and-earth-shattering improvement.
Now, Xu Zhuang could truly overturn rivers and seas, uproot mountains and seize peaks. Yet, he knew he was still far from using his full power.
And all of this was simply because he had completed the *Tai Su Qi Scripture*.
People in the world often held a grave misunderstanding of Superior Daoist Scriptures, believing that cultivating one would naturally allow them to master more powerful Spells and attain the Dao... In reality, it was not so. Cultivating the Dao—what was the Dao? The Dao is nothing, and the Dao is everything.
If a person was born with supreme wisdom, supreme comprehension, and supreme aptitude, the Dao was everywhere—in the universe, in the heavens and earth, in rare treasures... and also in the dirt. To comprehend the Dao and achieve it, what need was there for any Cultivation Technique or Daoist Scripture?
For a Cultivator, one’s achievements were not determined by what Daoist Scripture they practiced.
It was rumored in the Divine Continent that those who cultivated the *Tai Su Qi Scripture* possessed boundless Magical Power, able to shake mountains, grasp the moon, and manipulate the very universe.
In fact, it wasn’t the practice of the *Tai Su Qi Scripture* that gave a cultivator more boundless Magical Power. Rather, the *Tai Su Qi Scripture* enhanced the cultivator’s comprehension of Magical Power, their comprehension of the ’essence’ of the heavens and earth.
As one’s cultivation deepened, this aspect of their wisdom would also grow. Their understanding of Magical Power would become more profound, and the Magical Power they accumulated would become more boundless.
Most Superior Daoist Scriptures in this world operated on the same principle.
Only at this moment did Xu Zhuang truly understand what a heaven-defying method the Nine Orifice Condensing Pill technique was, and why it was so difficult to achieve.
Forming a Nine Orifice Golden Pill would allow one to practice the Nine Fundamental True Techniques. If all of them were Superior Dao Skills on the level of a Tai Su True Inheritance Daoist Scripture, the boost to a cultivator’s wisdom would be terrifying. It was far more than simply gaining more varied abilities or greater combat prowess.
Of course, finding nine Superior Dao Skills and achieving something with all of them was a task of immense difficulty.
Now, with three Tai Su True Inheritances in hand, he just needed to complete and cultivate each one in turn. This was already a boundless fortune.
Xu Zhuang’s innate talent was already superior to begin with. He had since waded through the mortal world, entered an Immortal Mansion, weathered many storms, and had many fortuitous encounters. He had also refined the utmost true and yang Pure Yang Qi. He had long since surpassed ordinary Daoist geniuses.
Otherwise, he could not have defied the heavens and changed his fate to form a high-grade pill, nor could he have mastered such an astonishing Divine Technique with only half a scripture. Once he had completed the *Tai Su Qi Scripture*, his progress became even more explosive. Every day in meditation, his comprehension of the essence of Magical Power and his wisdom grew dramatically.
Now, Xu Zhuang felt his Dantian was completely empty. The once vast and surging Magical Power seemed like a mere stream in the ocean’s abyss. His Golden Core was as if starving and thirsty, just waiting for a supply of Spirit Stones and pills to drink the seas like a whale and increase his pill power immensely.
This was also why Xu Zhuang felt he was far from using his full strength when testing his Divine Technique.
And what a grand sight it would be on the day he combined the three Tai Su True Inheritances. However, his mastery of the *Tai Su Qi Scripture* was still new, and his Magical Power and pill power were not yet replenished. He needed to make plans first.
Xu Zhuang pushed aside his wandering thoughts. ’Back when I killed Yang Lian, I took the majority of his wealth. I can exchange it for resources in the sect to aid my cultivation. Also, as a True Disciple, I’m allocated cultivation resources by the sect. Every ten years, I also get a Sixth-Transformation Golden Core, which is perfect for increasing pill power. It’s just that I went into seclusion on Chongyun Peak as soon as I received the True Inheritance Daoist Scripture, so I’ve delayed handling these worldly affairs for a long time.’
Thus, a trip to the Ministry of Affairs Hall had become the most pressing matter.
With a plan in mind, Xu Zhuang took one last look at the thousands of miles of golden clouds. No longer in a leisurely mood, he immediately transformed into a Sword Rainbow that streaked across the sky, heading toward the Ministry of Affairs Hall.